Cranking mechanism for internal-combustion engines



SePt- 3, 1929. B. sTocKr-*LETH ET AL. 1,726,997

CRANKING MEGHANISM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed 'April 29, 192e 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 3, 1929. B. sTocKFLETH ET A1.

CRANKING MECHANISM'FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 29, 1926 2 sheets-sheet Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED srAr-ss i.fPfAT' ENl` Fl C l BERGER srocxrLnrH, or Ban-RIEN seizures, AND rannn'aicxwisunann, or NILEs,

MICHIGAN, AssIGNoRs To CLARK TRUCTHACTOR COMPANY, or BUCHANAN; iviICH-l IG-AN, A CORPORATION OIE MICHIGAN.

CRANHING MECHANISM non INTH'RNAL-coMBUsrIoN,ENGINES Application' led April 29,-i 1926. Serial Ilm/105,448.

The present invention relates tocranking mechanism for internal combustion engines, and has as its principal object to provide an improved arrangement of cranking mecha crank axis displaced laterally of the longitudinal axis of the engine.

The present construction ofA cranking mechanism has been developed 'for use in certain types of industrial trucks and tractors wherein the steering operation is per. formed through a single caster type ofsteering wheel, disposed at the engine ,end of the r.v

vehicle.y This type ofsteering wheel,.to

getherwith its supporting bearing, obstructs- ,direct access tothe crank shaft of the engine.

The improved cranking mechanism herein disclosed avoids these diiculties by provid-v ing mechanism by which the engine may .be v cranked from a crank axisdisplaced later-.f

ally from the crank shaft yof the engine.

More specifically, it is oneof theobjects of the invention .to provide crankingmechanism which will crank an internal combustion engine through a secondary shaft of the engine, such as the magneto or pump shaft, or through the timing gears thereof.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, illustrating what we consider a preferred embodiment of our invention: C

Figure l isa fragmentary View of thev front end of a vehicle of the class'described, a portion thereof being broken away;`

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view takenl approximately on the plane of the line 2,-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is abottom plan view illustrating the cranking shaft, being taken approxif mately on the plane of the line 3-3.of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a. perspective view ofthe bearing-I'` bracket for the front end of this cranking shaft.

In these 'industrial types tractors, vto which the'inventionhas Vparticular application, the steering is per# formed through a single steering' .wheel 6 disposed 'at the engine' end of the vehicle;

'In some instances this may be the front end of the vehicle and in other instances the rear end. As illustrative of a typical construction, this steering 'Wheelv is supported in a fork "i which, ils journalled pnnprght' of Aand .upright bearing 8 ismounted onva trans- ,versely extending frame member 9- secured to the side Iportions of the main frame 11. anism, through which the internalcombustion engine of a vehicle c-an be cranked from The steering wheel is disposed centrally of the frame, and in this position the wheel and its supporting fork .7 are in substantially alinement with the longitudinal axis of the engine l2. Hence, in this type of vehicle,`

it is impossible to crank the engine through any. longitudinally extending cranking handle or cranking shaft alined with the crank shaft of the engine. 1

In c ircumventing this idificulty we employY cranking 4meclianism .whi'ch #is effective to crank the engine through one;of the engine driven rotating `partsdisplaced laterally .of the 'axis of the ienginevcrank shaft.- This-is preferably effected through a secondar shaft 14 -whichf-is -driven from vthe cran shaft 15 of the engine throughone or more timing gears 16, v.17, and18 'contained in a 4timing gearvfhousing19 4at the end of the engine. The secondary shaft 14 istypical of they shafts usually provided lfor driving the magneto, water circulating pump or-.governor in these types of engines. In the present instance, this shaft drives a magneto 21 which furnishes theignition current for the engine. The shaft 14 yrotates at the same speedasthe crank shaft 15 to secure propverly timed .relation ofthe .magneto with the power strokes of the engine. The front end of-.ithe secondary shaft 14=`is 'extended out through a bearing-in the frontiw'all of the gear housing y19 and supports@I Pulley 22,

over which tracks the ybelt 23.for drivingthe air circulating fan 24. This fan creates a circulation of cooling-air'through ,the radia tor 25, which is disposedvdirectly behind the upright bearing member 8. f. Also mounted on the end ofthe shaft 14 beyond the pulley 22 is ajaw-lclutch 26." Alined with this-jaw clutch l is `athird shaft 127 which. extends forwardly), `.to the endof the vehicle :and :which serves as a cranking shaft. The inner end, of this Ashaft 27 Ihas.bearingsupport in the flange .28'of an angle 'member' 29extending transvversely.of the fratrie,` theends'o'f this angle4 -member beiiig riveted.v to' the fside members 411 of the frameasindicatedat 31'.' This end of the shaftf27hasatransverse1y extending pin 32 secured therein, :thermo-gearing. ends of which. are .adapted-to; engage in I the ,teetht sli'a'ft 27"iS supported "in abea'ring bracket 37, 4which is 'bo'lt'edto 'the'underside of the cnrved'fra'rne member 11. As best shownin fig. Z,thislbearin'g brack'e-tfcomprises an at- ;tachin'gfplateSS, by which it is bolted to the fra'nie ineinbcr .11',1 and tivo spaced bosses 39 "and '40 'extending downwardly 'from said attaching plate. A sleeve 4l is suitably Se- -CL'i'r'ed to the adjacent'e'nd f'the shaft 27, as

by thetransverse'pin.42, and this sleeve'is f -jou'rnalled for'rotation inthe bearing boss 3 9. The o en end of said v'sleeve hastwo tdametriea'l y 'piocsite :notches or slots 43 therein for receiving'the' two pinlike' projections' 48'us1i'a-lly'l' 'rovided on the shank'll) `offtlie convntion'alstarting c'rank 50. Such shank portionoffthe crank is receivable in the Ts'ocketlike "open end yof sleeve 41.- The depending'boss portion '40 is Vformed with a bore'45' Whieh'fis'jiist'of sufficient size to receivethe shank portion-of the starting crank.

Eiftendingcmpletely through the -boss 40 at opposite isivd'es "of the bore 4-5 'are tn o 'grooves 'or recesses-46,' through which thepm 'projections 48 'on the shank of the starting crank are passed in xinserting the crank into operative position. After the shank portion of' the starting crank has been inserted through the boss'40 to bring'its pin projections into engagement with tlienotched end of the sleeve llfl,A the'starting crank cannot .be removed u ntil'these :pin' prdj 'ections have fbeen alined with tlie'grooves 46. Such pin projections are so"'pla1ced"in"thesliank por- "is hanging do'vriva'rdly inthe position that lit'will normally` ass'u'ine Ii'n'der'fthe action" of gravity, t'heyvvill lie' in a' vertical1 p'l'anef out fof rgristrywiththegrooves 46. Hence,the

"c'ra'nk' is 'normally'slipp'orted 'in the'bos's or i hanger 40,.'bei'ng removable Ithere-from.nly

' 'the' grooves 46.

when theflian'dle' ndof the' crank has j'been 'swung up to* a horizontal 'fpos'iti'on 'to bring the pinfprcjectio'nsiS into'alinemet With 'to shift the'oranking'shaf't 27 'ito'clutching engageln'e'ntv with' the" yjaw icliltch 26, -after which th'eenginecan'be cranked inthe :same

manner'as' When"applying :cranking efortff-hafndcrank. LY

directly-tolthe "end ofthe crank shaft. A

' particularadvantage'inherentin thus vcrankingk through 'the magneto I:shaft resides in the fact that the magneto shaft rotates at -engine speed and thus the engine can be cranked *with* lthe same speed of .rotation as when the starting crank is connected directly yto the crankshaft. V-'Further-inore, the magneto shaft is disposed a suicient distance to'one side of Aitlreaxis of the engine to place the cranking shaft 27 in such position v'that it "will not interfere with the rotative movement of the steering Wheel 6 and A"its supporting fo'rk 7 "in 'the*operation of Ysteer-ing'the vehicle.l g

For carrying the crank after it has been removed from the? bearing boss 40,' a mounting socketl52is provided in the transversely Aezitentlingi'frame"member 9 forreceiving the shank *end o'f the crank; and a lgro'oved bracket 53 is provided alongside thev upright bearing 8 for receiving the handl'efend of the cranrk'(Fig.'1). b p 'i What vve'claimI 'as -onr inventionland desire "o secure Aby 'Iietters'Patent fthe y"United t'ates, isi?- l. In-"a'v'ehclenf theclassldescribed, the "c'ombinf'tion ffafl franie5an` internal combuss tin engine fmonnte'di'ansaid 'frame'and ccmfpris'ing 'a crank :shaft extending longitudi- :n'z'illy thefr'eofand a secondar'y "shaftfcontinu- 'iisly- "driven vthereby; Ya 4caster `Wheel `Isvviveldat lone end f saidframe',' fs'aid caster Wheel 'bstru'ctingdirect :cranking connection `betvve'n'a hand crank 'andthe' crankshaft --icf' 'the engine, and means'ektendin'g below AtheV framefr' cranking 'said engine from the front I ofV the frame throligh' said secondary l'shaftl '2. 'In "a vehicle, the y"conlbination "of a frame, an internal combustion' engine mounte'd 'on `said frame 'and "comprising'a crank "sl'iaftl'and asecondary shaft parallel with and continuously f driven from fsaid crank tshaft, 'and' ath'irdfsha'ft" having bearing supvport below said frame Vin 'alignment with said :secondary shaft, adapted toll effect "'fcliitch'ng, engagement 'with said secondary edoii said frame, andcom'prising''a crankV shaft extending longitudinally fth'ereo'f. a "han-d crank )having a 'projecting shoulder I"the'reomf a cranking sha'ft `adapted to transmit rotation to said crank shaft, and Labear- Ting'bracketvmountedfn' the frame for supporting 'said' cranking shaft'for-E longitudinal 'rnovement'thereim said ibracket having a bore therein@l for""receivingI the 'shank of said hand 'crank and having Aa longitudinal fgroove communicating with' said`=bore for 'receiving' the" Eproje'cting 'shoulders on Jsaid j 4ninla-vehicle,"the v'combination of a f "frameg'an internal vcombustion'engine mounted on said frame, a hand crank having a projecting shoulder thereon, a cranking shaft adapted to transmit rotation to said engine` and a bearing bracket for said cranking shaft mounted on said frame, said bracket having a bore therein for receiving the shank of said hand crank and having a longitudinal groove communicating with said bore for receiving the projecting shoulder on said hand crank, said groove and the shoulder on said hand crank being so related as to prevent disengagement of said hand crank from said bearing bracket when the handle of said hand crank is hanging down- Wardly.

5. In a vehicle, the combination of a frame, an internal combustion engine mounted on said frame, said engine comprising a crank shaft and a second shaft parallel with and driven from said crank shaft through timing gears journalled in said engine, a. third shaft alined with said second shaft and movable endwise relatively thereto, bearing means rotatably and reciprocably supporting the end portions of said third shaft on said frame, clutch means for operatively connecting said second and third shafts, spring means cooperating with said third shaft for normally maintaining said clutch means out of engagement, a hand crank, and socket means on vsaid third shaft for receiving said hand crank.

6. In a vehicle propelled by an internal combustion engine located at the front thereof, a frame mounted in front of the engine, a steering Wheel carried by said frame and located in longitudinal alignment with the crank shaft of the engine, means for controlling the engine, an auxiliary shaft geared to the crank shaft for controlling said means, a third shaft in alignment With said auxiliary shaft and carried by said frame, and clutching means controlled by a hand crank for coupling the third shaft to the second shaft to permit the cranking of said engine through said shaft.

BERGER STOCKFLETH. FREDERICK W. BURGER. 

